felix28,
I am curious as to what your potassium (K) result was. Normal values
are 3.5-5.0 mEq/L and may be slightly different in other locations,
depending on the method and the laboratory.
As you probably already know, potassium is one of the three most
commonly tested serum electrolytes (Sodium and chloride are the other
two). Potassium is the key to proper muscle function (including the
heart muscle), helps regulate glucose metabolism and heartbeat. Most
excess potassium is eliminated in the urine; some is eliminated in the
sweat. When one consumes a large amount of potassium, the body does
it’s best to regulate it, by filtering it out in the kidneys, as well
as excreting part of it in the stool. It would be very difficult to
consume an excess of potassium. A true elevated serum potassium is
very rare among healthy individuals. From the HealthWorld Online
website: “Even with high intakes of potassium, the kidneys will clear
any excess, and blood levels will not be increased. For elevated
potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, to occur, there must usually be
other factors involved; decrease in renal function is the most likely
cause. Major infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and rapid protein
breakdown also may cause elevated potassium levels. Cardiac function
is affected by hyperkalemia; electrocardiogram changes can be seen in
this condition.”
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2063
Serum electrolytes are often included in routine testing today. The
most commonly ordered panel of chemistry tests in the US today is
called a Basic Metabolic Panel,which includes electrolytes, (or
“lytes”), glucose, BUN (blood urea nitrogen), and creatinine. Of
course electrolytes can be ordered separately, as can larger panels of
tests, such as a Conprehensive Metabolic Panel.
There are two primary reasons why a person would have an elevated
potassium result.
1) There is an underlying disease, such as kidney or heart disease.
2) The patients’s serum became hemolyzed.
It is rare for a healthy, ambulatory patient to have a true elevated
potassium. When an outpatient has an elevated potassium, it is often
due to hemolysis. (I’ll explain hemolysis in a bit) In our circulatory
system, are millions of red blood cells, better known as RBCs. While
these RBCs are fairly sturdy in the body, they don’t fare well passing
through a small gauge (narrow bore) needle. RBCs are encased in a thin
membrane, that tends to rupture easily when handled too roughly by
medical personnel. A blood sample must be handled properly before it
gets to the lab, to guarantee a valid and accurate result.
When getting your blood drawn, it is essential that the phlebotomist
use the proper size needle for the job. Too small a needle can
hemolyze RBCs. If the phlebotomist has a difficult time obtaining the
sample, tiny microclots can form, and RBCs passing these clots in a
narrow needle, can rupture. Sometimes blood is drawn with a syringe,
and careless personnel will then force the blood back through the
needle into a collection tube. If this is not done immediately, or if
the blood is forced too swiftly, RBCs burst, and cause hemolysis. If
the blood is left to sit for over 30-60 minutes before it is
centrifuged (spun down rapidly to separate the cells from the serum),
RBCs can swell and burst. So, what seems to be healthy red blood, is
really quite fragile when outside of the body.
Now, on to hemolysis. Each RBC contains a delicate balance of
intracellular potassium and water (along with other goodies). When
these cells are ruptured, causing the cell contents to escape, it is
called “hemolysis”. Before your blood can be analyzed for
electrolytes, it must be centrifuged at a very high speed. The
centrifuged blood yields two visible layers. If you were to look at a
tube of centrifuged blood, you would see in the lower 45 % of the
tube, a dark red layer of cells. The top 55% , the serum, would look
like rich beer, without the foam. When blood is hemolyzed, this top
layer is seen in varying shades of red. The contents of the ruptured
RBCs causes this red color. The BIG problem is when the intracellular
potassium escapes into the serum, FALSELY elevating the potassium.
Laboratories are required to note the presence of hemolysis on the
results that the doctor sees. Many laboratories refuse to even perform
testing on hemolyzed samples, as a form of excellent quality control.
Sadly, it has been my experience that an occasional doctor will order
the tests run on an improperly collected sample, assuming he/she can
somehow extrapolate accurate results. If y ou have any doubt as to the
validity of your lab results, you can request that your doctor
re-order them, and have a new sample drawn. (You don’t need to be
fasting for electrolytes alone, but if you have any other chemistry
tests, you may be asked to fast for 8-12 hours prior to the test).
http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/Labs/Current/Q141401.html
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section2/chapter12/12c.htm
The recommended intake of potassium is 2,000 milligrams (mg) per day.
http://www.healthhelper.com/vitamins/minerals/potassium.htm
http://www.drirene.net/qa3/qa210055.htm
One ounce of peanuts contains 5.3 % of our Daily Reference Values(DRV)
for potassium
Two tablespoons of peanut butter gives us 6.1 % of our Daily
Reference Values (DRV) for potassium.
One cup (8 ounces) of peanuts contains 1029 mg. Potassium, or 42.4 %
of our DRV .http://www.hungrymonster.com/FoodFacts/Food_Facts.cfm?Phrase_vch=Peanuts&fid=5773
http://nutrition.about.com/library/foodfind/blnutpeanut.htm
To learn of potassium content of other foods:
http://nursing.ucsfmedicalcenter.org/medsurg/ahu/NutritionandKidneyFailurePrinciples.pdf
According to this CNN report, why you should eat peanuts:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/11/29/nuts.health.ap/
Finally, the likelihood of peanuts causing an elevated potassium
result ; Not likely at all. However, an excess of peanuts and/or
peanut butter may cause your weight to be elevated! ( I AM curious as
to how much peanut butter/peanuts you ate!)
I hope this answered your question to your satisfaction. If not,
please request an answer clarification before rating.
Regards,
crabcakes |
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